


How To Save A Life

by TheEndOfTheWords



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, Guardian Angels...?, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Sort Of, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-09-05 12:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16810318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEndOfTheWords/pseuds/TheEndOfTheWords
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi is dead. Tsukishima Kei is mourning. Everyone is. No one saw it coming. No one knew except someone. The thing that had done this rejoiced at their success, bathing in it. Her plan would've worked if it weren't for the pesky little girl that told Kei. Now all of her work will be lost if he succeeds. Fingers crossed, swords clashed, it's all up to Kei now.





	1. Ohta

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm new to this so I don't really know how things go but I'm hoping I do it right. I'm very good at writing but if someone likes this, I'm glad. This fic was inspired by CurlyFriesFreak's 31 Days. It's a Klance fic that is really good. If you're into that, go ahead and check it out. The title of this fic is also the title of a song. If you search it up, you'll find it. The song is amazing and I listened to it a lot while writing this. Brings back good memories. Well, I hope you enjoy! If not, that's fine. I probably wouldn't either. Thanks for reading!

The whispers were getting to be too much. He couldn’t handle them, not when they were so mean and hateful. It didn’t matter, his life. He might as well just end it and stop all the pain.

_________________

Kei woke up to a loud crash and muffled sobbing downstairs. He opted to ignore it, knowing it was probably just his brother coming to visit in the middle of the night like he always did or his mother eating all the junk food after trying to go on a diet. So he turned on his side and pulled his pillow over his head to drown out the strained voices coming from the ground floor.

Suddenly the talking stopped, leaving a tense silence in the air until someone started climbing the stairs. They reached the top and footsteps came closer and faster towards Kei’s room.

The door opened suddenly and Akiteru burst in looking disheveled.

Kei rolled his eyes. He guessed it, it wasn’t much of a surprise that his older brother had decided to come home now.

Akiteru approached the bed as Kei sat up slowly, still sleepy. He reached for his glasses and grabbed them just before he was pulled off the bed with his brother’s strong grip.

He made a noise of resistance which only made Akiteru hold on tighter, dragging him down the hallway and down the stairs. Kei nearly fell twice on the way, his long, baggy pajamas getting in the way of his steps.

They reached the bottom of the stairs when Akiteru whirled around, facing his younger brother. He looked slightly up, the height difference making him look no less intimidating as Akiteru looked straight at Kei.

“Don’t make it harder for them. Just stay calm, you can break down later, just don’t make it worse.” Kei opened his mouth, about to say something when Akiteru cut him off again. “Don’t.”

Akiteru turned to the kitchen and started towards it, breathing uneven. Kei hesitated but soon followed, not knowing what to expect.

When he stepped in the kitchen which was separated from the other rooms with walls on all sides and only one entrance, what he saw was horrible.

His mother was holding Mrs. Yamaguchi tightly, tears making her eyes glisten while the woman in her arms glanced at Kei then sobbed harder. Mr. Yamaguchi was crying openly, not bothering with the fat tears streaming down his cheeks. His own father and Akiteru were now standing off to the side, watching with solemn expressions, looking as if they too wanted to cry.

“What…?” Kei stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do considering he didn’t know what was happening, not getting an explanation from his brother.

“Honey, I’m so, so sorry.” His mother let go of Mrs. Yamaguchi who latched onto her husband instead, and hurriedly walked over to Kei, hugging him tightly. Her tears soaking through his shirt, feeling cool on his skin.

“Mom, what happened?” Kei glanced at his father who sighed, a tear escaping his eye when he blinked.

His father strode over to Kei and grabbed his arm with both of his calloused hands, pulling him into the living room.

“Come on, what’s going on?” Kei was getting irritated, feeling the need to also cry but not wanting to make it worse like Akiteru instructed him not to.

His father smiled sadly and gestured for him to sit on the couch. Kei did and his father sat down next to him, shifting to face him.

“It’s Tadashi, he…” his father took a deep breath. “He jumped. None of us saw it coming, it just happened. He didn’t seem unhappy but he was acting weirdly. But, he’s not here with us anymore.”

Kei couldn’t breathe. It was like he had just been punched in the gut with too many emotions at once. Guilt, for not spending more time with him, regret, for the things he had said, grief, because his best friend had just killed himself, and many more. This wasn’t supposed to happen and the worst was, it was his fault.

“It’s okay, let it out.” His father held him as the tears flowed, choking him and making him hiccup. He gasped for breath when he thought they had finally stopped coming but then he was hit with another wave of sadness, always worse than the last.

He cried until he couldn’t. His throat was sore, begging for more water. Kei slowly sat up, thanking his teary-eyed father who just nodded in understanding.

Kei went to the kitchen, hugging both of the Yamaguchis then went straight to his room, closing the door slowly as not to disturb anyone.

The thing he did was sit down at his desk and write a list. A list of things to get for Yamaguchi’s funeral. He was going to go out tomorrow and buy them. Kei was sure his parents would let him stay home the next day.

Then Kei texted the team that he wasn’t coming to practice for a while, this being the first time he had ever texted them he got replies instantly, despite it being the middle of the night.

 _‘Are you okay?’_ Daichi.

 _‘Tsukishima, what happened?’_ Suga.

 _‘Bruh u good’_ Tanaka.

 _‘NOOOOOOO!!!! Y?!’_ Hinata.

 _‘You okay?’_ Kageyama.

No one else replied, probably asleep or their notifications were off.

Kei sent a text to the group chat saying he’ll explain later, not wanting to repeat what was told to him this soon.

The team seemed satisfied with that and only a few said something. Kei was glad that they were fine with it. He wasn’t sure he could go to school or practice without breaking down.

Kei kept his phone in hand, sitting down on his bed. He opened up the photos app and the album he had that he put all of his photos of Yamaguchi. It wasn’t creepy, more like something to remember him by.

Eventually he fell asleep, phone in his slim fingers, showing a picture of him and Yamaguchi in their uniforms, smiling at the camera, their arms wrapped around each other carelessly. 

The next morning Kei’s alarm didn’t go off. He suspected one of his parents had come in and saw him sleeping and decided to let him be.

Kei sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes with one hand and going for his glasses with the other. He was tired and it was six thirty a.m. according to his clock on his nightstand. That meant he must’ve gone to sleep really late last night since he was used to waking up now.

Getting up was harder than expected, too. His back hurt and the pressure behind his eyes wasn’t helping.

He also needed water, and lots of it. It seemed that he was dehydrated but didn’t know why. Last night was still fuzzy but he could tell there was lots of crying, that must be it.

Kei walked slowly out the door of his room and down the hall and stairs, headed towards the kitchen to get some Pop Tarts.

When he stepped into the kitchen everyone was there and so were the memories of last night. It all came back to him at once, startling him and the pressure behind his eyes was almost too much.

Yamaguchi was dead. Not accidentally but on purpose, his own doing. That made it so much worse.

Mrs. Yamaguchi got up from her seat and hugged Kei without a second thought. Her petite form wrapping around his middle with much effort. Kei didn’t hesitate to hug back, leaning down to bury his face in her forest green hair and willed himself not to cry. He needed to keep his composure, not wanting to upset Mrs. Yamaguchi more.

Eventually the woman let go, releasing Kei and allowing him to get his breakfast. He went to the pantry and took out two Pop Tarts wrapped in foil. Kei hurriedly sat down at the table, quickly eating his breakfast, wanting to spend most of his day away from his home.

“I’m leaving!” Kei shouted to his mom as he stepped out the door, fully clothed and ready to go.

“Okay, be back by nine!” He started walking quickly, wanting to get to the market before too long.

Kei lived by close to the school, being able to walk to it, so he wasn’t surprised to see Hinata biking up the sidewalk in front him.

Hinata seemed to sense that someone he knew was around, like he always did, and turned around, nearly falling off his bike with surprise.

“Tsukishima! What’re you doing?” Hinata came towards him, walking his bike, and Kei stood, frozen. He didn’t want to talk to anyone today, especially not Hinata.

Hinata looked suspiciously at his clothes then he smirked. “Where’s Yamaguchi?” He asked in a singsong voice. Kei didn’t mean to but he took a step back, the pressure behind his eyes picking up again.

“He,” Kei’s voice cracks and he takes another step back. “He isn’t here.” With that, Kei strode away, leaving Hinata utterly confused on the sidewalk.

Once he was far enough away, Kei slowed to a normal pace. He wasn’t ready for that conversation. Not yet.

The market was busy, making it harder to get around without bumping into people. Kei was also trying to avoid the stores of his coach and the two former volleyball players from Karasuno, again, not wanting to have that conversation.

Kei slowly went through the items on his list, checking his phone every few minutes to make sure no one had texted and to see the time.

It was now around twelve fifteen and he was standing in line at a flower shop with three bags in hand.

Someone touched his shoulder in a way that seemed purposeful so Kei turned around to see who it was. No one was there so he sneered at the air then turned back around, irritated.

“Oops!” he heard a voice say that sounded female and then a crashing sound followed by a snap. His shoulder was touched again and Kei whipped around, ready to snap.

“Oh, sorry! But now you can see me!” Standing in front of him was a girl, her hand reaching up behind her to clutch her neck, making her bob of dark brown hair bounce.

Kei opened his mouth to say something when she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of line harshly and out of the store and down the street to what seemed to be a cafe. He made a sound of distress, a lot of people were grabbing him lately. Not in _that_ way though.

The girl got them a table easily, her looks getting them a seat in the corner that she had asked for. They sat down and the girl ordered Kei a strawberry latte, his favorite thing on the menu at any place. He squinted suspiciously at her, wondering how this girl he had just met could know his favorite drink that only his parents and Yamaguchi knew about.

The girl looked up from her cookie and glanced at his untouched drink. “C’mon,” she said, “it’s not like they poisoned it or anything! Trust me, I would know.”

Kei picked it up and took a cautious sip and he felt his whole body sag as it relaxed. The girl laughed and set down her cookie, dusting off her hands.

“Knew you would like that. I’m Ohta.” she stretched her arm across the table so Kei could shake it. He did, looking into her eyes as he did so. She matched him and stared even deeper, looking like she knew his deepest darkest secrets that not even he knew.

“I’m-” she cut him off with a wave of her hand as she settled back into her chair.

“I know, I know. You’re Tsukishima Kei.” Kei stared at her, trying not to let his shock show through the mask he had perfected after all his years of living.

Ohta sighed, looking into his eyes again. “Yamaguchi Tadashi is dead.” She said it so bluntly that Kei nearly fell off his chair despite knowing this.

“Are you okay?” Ohta asked, sitting back in her chair as Kei floundered in his seat. When he nodded she sat back up and leaned forward.

“What I’m about to tell you is something you cannot tell anyone else, got it?” Kei was very confused but nodded. “Okay,” Ohta let out a long breath. “I decide your fate.”

Kei snorted into his latte and Ohta kicked him under the table. “I’m serious! I’m like your guardian angel, or something!” Ohta crossed her arms as Kei exploded with laughter inside, showing a small smile and snorting.

“I, no you aren’t. There’s no such thing.” Kei straightened his glasses, gaining his composure.

Ohta’s frown deepened. “What, you want me to prove it?” Kei nodded and gestured for her to _please, go on!_ Ohta straightened up as did Kei, awaiting her to fail miserably, only knowing him for a little while. “At night you sometimes play with your dinosaur figurines. You pretend you’re the Pachycephalosaurus and the other members of the Karasuno Boys’ Volleyball Team are the other ones. Would you like me to go on with who is what?”

Kei glared daggers at her. No one knew that, not even his own parents. He wasn’t fully convinced but he gave in. “Fine. Tell me what you need to. I have somewhere to be.” It sounded like Ohta mumbled a _no you don’t, faker_ but she lit up and started talking, leaving no time or evidence for him to accuse her.

“Alright! First things first, my name isn’t actually Ohta. We don’t have names so I came up with one that was fitting! There’s one of us for each human on Earth, and all of us have one duty: Make sure the human dies at the right time. But we all try to let them live a pleasant life.”

Kei held up his hand, motioning for her to stop talking. “So Yamaguchi was supposed to die yesterday?” The tears started forming but Kei tried to keep them from spilling over.

Ohta sighed. “That’s the problem. He wasn’t supposed to die yesterday. He wasn’t supposed to die for a long time! I think his guardian did something, seeing that you weren’t in his life much and took advantage of it. She must’ve used all his insecurities against him, and therefore making him commit suicide.”

Kei blinked. What was Yamaguchi, one of the bravest people he knew, insecure about?

He was going to voice this when Ohta shook her head, showing him she knew what he was thinking. “I can’t tell you what they were because if this talk goes well, you can save him. Don’t worry about that yet though.” Ohta said as he opened his mouth to speak. “I have more explaining to do.

“Do I seem appealing to you? Romantically?” Ohta stood up and twirled around, showing off everything. The guys at the counter glared at Kei in jealousy.

“No. Not really.”

“Well, does my personality seem to fit your preference?” Ohta asked, smirking as her hands settled on her hips.

Kei shook his head slowly. “No, I hate your personality. It’s too much like mine.”

Ohta sat back down with a soft thud. “Exactly. We’re made to be the exact opposite of the human’s preferences that we guard. It’s for safety reasons, of course. If anything like this happens, we don’t want the person we’re visiting to fall in love with us. It would be really complicated to sort out, we would have to go to the Chief. No one likes that so we design ourselves like this!” Ohta gestures to herself again, a smirk in place.

“So you mean to tell me,” Kei puts his hands on the table. “That you made yourself? And that people used to fall in love with their guardian?”

Ohta shrugs and leans back in her wooden chair. “Yep. It’s really complicated to explain. Non Existence Creation, NEC for short, is hard to explain. And yes, someone has fallen in love with their guardian. It was a long time ago but we’re cautious now. Like I said, we don’t want to go to the Chief.”

Kei had so many questions. Who was this “Chief”? Who had fallen in love with their guardian? What does she mean by him being able to save Yamaguchi if he’s already dead?

Ohta sensed his swirling thoughts and smirked. “You wanna save him, right?” Kei nodded. “Alright, we just need to go someplace private…” Ohta’s face lit up and she grinned a vicious grin.

She grabbed him again, flinging a twenty dollar bill at the cashier and yelled ‘Keep the change!’ as Ohta ran out the door, dragging Kei along.

They rounded corners fiercely, barely dodging other people. Buildings flew past as they kept running. Kei was near the point of sweating, being used to running because of all the times they had lost at the Tokyo training camp.

Ohta suddenly skidded to a stop and Kei nearly ran into her. He let go of her hand and wiped them on his pants, the sweat being near unbearable.

“We’re here!” Ohta gestured to the place that they had ended up at.

Kei took one look around then turned back around and started walking away.

Ohta grabbed his sweatshirt and pulled him back. “No. You aren’t going anywhere. This place is deserted anyway, why not use it?” Ohta looked up at him with pleading eyes, the mischievousness badly hidden.

“I’m not going to talk about Yamaguchi where we met!” Kei exclaimed, sitting down on a bench and stared out at the park.

“Uncovering old memories is good for the soul. Well, sometimes. But that doesn’t matter! This place is deserted and it took us fifteen seconds to get here!” Ohta cringed under Kei’s look. “Minutes. It’s seconds for us.”

Ohta sat down beside him and gazed at the park too, both of them replaying Kei’s meeting with Yamaguchi in their heads.

“Okay,” Kei turned to Ohta, “How do I save him?”

Ohta smiled. “Well, you gotta go back in time! Duh!” she said it like it was the most obvious and not the most impossible thing to do.

“We can’t. It isn’t possible.” Kei pushed his glasses up.

Ohta tapped her chin. “Well, if only we had an immortal being that could help us out in a time like this. Oh, I am one.” she looked at Kei and he groaned.

“Do you even know how?” Kei asked, suspicion laced in his voice.

Ohta raised her arms and spread them out, whacking Kei in the face. “Of course I do! Why else would I suggest it?”

Kei rubbed his cheek, taking off his glasses, protecting them. “Then do it.” He was getting irritated by Ohta’s noisiness and ability to annoy him, pressing all his buttons.

“Alright, you might throw up. Don’t. It’s a pain to clean the time tubes. Bye!” Ohta snapped her fingers and everything went black.


	2. Deserving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day one of saving Yamaguchi isn't going so great. With multiple idiots and a snarky fate decider with him it's hard to focus. Kei just needs time with his best friend to sort things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will hopefully be longer than the other one. And much better written. If you barreled through the first chapter and are reading this one, I thank you. I worked hard and long on this one. It needs to be worth it. You guys are the judges of that! Thanks for reading this one!

“-kishima, Tsukishima, Tsukishima!” Someone was jumping on Kei’s chest, making it harder and harder to breathe. “We’re going to be late! Hurry and get up!” The jumping continued, not stopping it’s rhythm.

“Yeah, get up. You’re going to be late.” Ohta’s voice broke through his grogginess and he sat up instantly, pushing the orange puffball that was Hinata off him with a resounding thud.

He quickly retrieved his glasses from the ground beside him, knowing exactly where they would be, and put them hurriedly on his face.

Looking around, Kei realized he was in the room where the boys’ volleyball team had lived in for the training camp in Tokyo. Nearly everyone on the team was up and getting ready to head down to breakfast or getting pumped up for the games, hoping to win at least one. The ones who weren’t, like him, were being jumped on by their shortest players, Hinata and Nishinoya.

It all seemed normal except for the fact that Ohta was there and _it was in the past_. Ohta was sitting cross legged by the mattress that was his temporary bed, picking at her black nail polish that had begun to wear off, seemingly bored.

Ohta looked up at him, sensing his acknowledgment of her and smirked, putting her elbow on her knee so she could rest her chin in her palm comfortably. At the panicked look on Kei’s face Ohta rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. No one but you can see, hear, or touch me. It’s part of the whole NEC thing, it’s really complicated.”

Kei opened his mouth to say something but she quieted him, putting her finger up to his mouth while making a shushing noise. “If you talk to me it’ll look like you’re talking to yourself. Talking would be bad, and weird. You don’t want to ruin your sane image so just be casual.” Ohta leaned back, resuming original her posture.

Kageyama strode over to the mattress “Hey! Don’t push Hinata!” he snarled as he held out a hand to the dramatic redhead who was still laying limply, partially on the ground. Kageyama glared at Kei who was slowly peeling the layers of blankets off of himself. Nekoma was so cold at night.

“He would’ve been fine if he used the few brain cells he has to figure out that jumping on me while I sleep is not a good idea.” Kei pushed his glasses up on his face, feigning a look of carelessness. That seemed to make Kageyama more frustrated but he left, hauling Hinata behind him.

Kei pushed himself off his temporary bed, surveying the room. His eyes landed on his best friend’s sleeping figure. Yamaguchi’s bangs fell over his eyes, a bit of drool traveling down his chin. Kei nearly fell over when he saw him, relief and sadness rushing through him.

Yamaguchi, the boy who was supposed to be dead was alive and only ten feet from him. He felt Ohta stand up behind him, her hand landing on his shoulder.

“Once you’re done getting dressed, stay behind. We can talk then.” Ohta said it softly as though handling a fragile piece of glass.

Kei didn’t respond, knowing it would look weird. Instead he picked up his volleyball uniform and quickly put it on. He was usually self conscious about that kind of stuff but he really wanted to talk to Ohta about how to save Yamaguchi.

The rest of the team went to the dining hall, laughing and talking while Kei stayed behind, saying he needed to get something. Yamaguchi glanced over and gave him a sorry look for no reason that nearly broke Kei’s heart, then he was gone with the rest of the team.

Kei turned to Ohta who had just popped back into existence again. She had left so she wouldn’t have to watch twelve teenage boys change. “Can we talk in here?”

Ohta nodded as she folded herself awkwardly in a lawn chair that was brought by Coach Ukai for whatever the adults had planned.

“Alright, so, you need something to keep track of time!” Ohta flicked her wrist, making her look like Cinderella’s godmother granting her her wish.

A bracelet appeared in front of Kei’s face and he caught it before it fell, clipping the black and orange beads around his wrist. There was one slightly bigger forest green bead with a large **31** carved perfectly into it.

“How is this supposed to help me keep track? Is it going to magically change numbers at midnight until my time is up?” Kei didn’t hold back from the overflowing sarcasm coming from within. He usually didn’t anyways.

Ohta smirked, hearing the words thickly coated sarcasm. “Yes, actually. I would burn it into your skin but that would be too obvious to everyone else, your uniform and all.” Kei didn’t mention the unspoken _I would if I could_ in Ohta’s voice.

“So,” Kei rubbed the beads between his slim, pale fingers, feeling the smooth wood against the calloused pads. “This is all I get?”

“And me!” Ohta said cheerfully, jumping out of the chair and hopping on Kei’s back. Kei grunted and fell down under the weight while Ohta giggled hysterically, clinging onto him. She was pushing his worst buttons and she knew it. This was absolute torture.

Kei quickly untangled himself from Ohta and stood up, adjusting his glasses and smoothing down his Karasuno volleyball uniform. He hated physical contact from anyone. It got on his nerves how much the other boys on his team loved to be touchy-feely. That’s why he didn’t like Bokuto and Kuroo with all their affection towards him. Disgusting.

Ohta came to be beside him, appearing from thin air which she seemed to love doing. She shoved him harshly towards the door and he stumbled a bit before balancing. Kei opened the door and walked down the hallway of doors that led to the rooms that all the other teams were staying in. It gave him shivers thinking about who was behind those doors.

It was quick and easy finding the dining hall. It was noisy because of all the competitive volleyball boys in there and wasn’t hard to locate on his own. Kei had usually been walking with the team or the two idiots that had befriended him and their guardian so he didn’t pay attention to directions.

Karasuno was at the far end, sitting at the worst table since they had lost the most games. It was part of their “punishment” just like the laps and dives they had to do. No one argued about this though, the stern looks from Daichi and Suga were enough to make even the noisiest of the team go silent.

Kei strode quickly towards the table close to the wall, trying not to bring attention to himself. He knew if he did that, it wouldn’t end well for anyone.

The table was small and cozy and there weren’t any open spots except for by Ennoshita but Kei took a seat beside Yamaguchi anyways, wanting to keep an eye on his friend.

Yamaguchi handed him a bowl and a paper plate nervously. Kei smiled genuinely at him then filled his bowl with cereal and his plate with small pieces of burnt bacon. Yamaguchi stared at him for a bit before shaking his head, something that Kei didn’t catch.

Kei held out a piece of bacon for him and Yamaguchi flinched but took it and smiled brightly and muttered a small _thanks_ and went back to staring at his plate as he took small bites of the meat.

Kei was halfway finished when two certain captains decided to ruin his already stressful day.

“Hey, _Tsukki_!” Bokuto chirped as Kuroo snickered beside him. Kei felt Yamaguchi tense up beside him at the name. “You want to come sit with us?”

Kei glared at Bokuto and turned back around and started eating, showing a clear response to the captain’s question and sticking with it.

“You should go, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi said quietly but encouragingly after a while. Kei only shook his head as he shoved more cereal into his mouth.

The two volleyball players were still standing behind him, crouching lower and lower, chanting a whispered invitation. _Come sit with us. Come sit with us. Come sit with us._ They gradually got louder until Kei finally snapped.

“No.” he said, dangerously quiet as he whipped around. Milk went flying into Bokuto’s and Kuroo’s faces with Kei’s dramatic turn.

Bokuto sputtered and Kuroo swiped at his face, much like a cat would. Kei found it amusing that Kuroo acted so catlike.

Kenma and Akaashi came quickly, noticing that their captains were making fools of themselves and dragged them towards a joined table where the Nekoma and Fukurodani teams sat.

“Tsk, tsk, Tsukishima. No hurting the other players’ feelings!” Tanaka wagged his finger at him from across the table as both Hinata and Nishinoya copied, the former failing miserably. Kei just rolled his eyes and went back to eating his delicious cereal.

Yamaguchi tensed even further, hunching over himself. Kei side eyed him, a bit of milk dribbling down his chin from the spoon he had in his mouth.

“What?” Kei asked, using a napkin to wipe up the milk as he sat up to look at Yamaguchi’s hunched form.

“Sorry, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi squeaked instinctively, folding even further into himself, looking painful. Kei felt a pressure behind his eyes but willed it away, going back at his cereal with his plastic spoon.

Once the teams had finished eating they headed towards the gym in a noisy group. Kei stayed on the sidelines of the giant mob consisting of many volleyball players. Yamaguchi walked behind him, fidgeting quite a lot, it got on Kei’s nerves but he held back his irritation.

The Nekoma gym was full of volleyball equipment, set up for multiple games, just like Kei remembered it had been a month ago.

Ukai and Takeda were standing by one of the courts, talking. Kei followed the rest of the team towards them.

“Okay, we haven’t been the best so far,” a few snorted when Ukai said that but Daichi glared dangerously at the team, silencing them. “But we have the will to win. This is training, yes, but it’s also for fun. Don’t lose sight of what the goal is and go out there and do your best. Now do your warm ups!”

The team responded with _Yes, sir!_ and started warming up. Kei didn’t put much effort into it, showing how much he didn’t care. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, exactly, he was just focusing on Yamaguchi who was serving with Nishinoya on defense. Nishinoya dug it every time.

Warm ups were done with quickly. They all huddled together with a _Karasuno, fight!_ and all waited for the whistle to blow.

They were going to play against Ubugawa High in their first set. Ubugawa was a simple yet excellent team, excelling in jump serves. They weren’t easy to beat but definitely better than Nekoma or Fukurodani. Kei paid attention more than his team thought. Probably not Yamaguchi though.

Thinking of or looking at Yamaguchi still made something in Kei’s chest tighten. Knowing what he did made it hard to do anything with him around but it also made Kei feel better. It was horrible how these things worked.

The teams got into their starting line-up and the whistle blew, signaling the start of the game.

The set was quickly finished, leaving Karasuno with yet another loss. Kei knew it would end of like this, aside from the fact that they always lost, this game had happened before. Everything was the same. All the positions, spikes, sets, nothing was different from how it had been a month ago.

It felt weird being able to know what was going to happen. Kei’s been able to stop more hits that had tried to go over the net, knowing the moves his opponents would make. It made him uncomfortable and overall annoyed that he could predict the future, having already lived it.

A hand clapped down on Kei’s back and he nearly lost balance. He looked over his shoulder, a firm glare in place, and saw the hand on his back belonged to the shortest player on the team.

Nishinoya grinned at him, making him squint. Asahi was standing shyly beside Nishinoya and was also smiling, sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Great job, Tsukishima! You blocked a lot! Next time, we’ll win!” Nishinoya pulled back his hand, balling it into a fist, his mouth becoming a straight line as his eyes shone with determination.

“Uh, sure.” Kei stepped back, the physical contact and conversing was making him uncomfortable, like usual. He also didn’t want to waste time talking to Nishinoya. Kei wanted to find out how to help Yamaguchi. Quickly.

Asahi saw how Kei stepped back and cautiously grabbed Nishinoya’s hand, muttering a quick _let’s not bother him_ and dragged the Libero away. Kei sighed in relief but eyed them as they went, watching their odd behavior.

Kei shrugged, paying no more attention to them and made his way over to Yamaguchi who was heading outside to do laps. With just a few strides, thanks to his long legs, Kei was walking beside Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi startled, stopping for a second then picking the pace back up. He seemed scared, tensing up, nearly folding himself in half.

It made Kei sad, thinking that his own best friend was scared of him. It also made him mad that his own best friend was scared of him. Who had done this? Why? Who had made Yamaguchi scared of him? If he ever was, he never showed it.

“Good job.” Yamaguchi said quietly. Kei looked over at him, watching as a surprised expression made its way onto his face, showing he didn’t mean to speak.

“I mean,” Yamaguchi fiddled with his shirt, voice low. “You did great, really. No one else was playing as good as you. I mean, everyone else was good too it’s just, you did better. Not that they aren’t good-“

Kei put a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly at Yamaguchi. “I know what you mean.”

Yamaguchi looked at him in shock or awe, one of the two, maybe both, the smiled. “Okay, Tsukki. Sorry, Tsukki.”

Yamaguchi walked ahead, going towards Hinata. Kei felt a pain in his chest, different from the usual, _Yamaguchi-committed-suicide_ kind of pain. No, this was something different and unwelcome.

It was also something Kei didn’t want to deal with right now. Instead, he opted to watch his other teammates, take in their behavior, see how it was different.

His eyes landed on Asahi and Nishinoya first. They were definitely acting weird around each other. They walked stiffly beside one another and talked very little. They both kept staring at the other, looking away when they thought they might get caught. Yet, they seemed to enjoy the other’s company.

Kei’s gaze drifted over to the other third years. Suga and Daichi were talking more than normal, laughing and smiling when the other said something funny. It was good to see them together, they were acting like all the other team captains and vice captains.

Hinata and Kageyama were just acting like idiots as usual so he skipped over them.

The second years, except for Nishinoya, were talking, being dumb and just having an overall good time. It didn’t seem to bother anyone that they lost the game, seeing as they were used to it by now. It was the last day of the training camp so no wins were expected.

Maybe this was how they always acted, maybe not. Kei would never know because he never paid much attention to anyone that wasn’t his family or Yamaguchi and his family.

It was kind of sad, or not, not knowing how his teammates acted. Kei wanted to pay more attention to all his teammates a second time, feeling that he should.

It was hot outside but it was still bearable. In Kei’s opinion laps were better than dives. He didn’t want his long limbs everywhere, touching the dirty floor. His limbs made a lot of things hard but not with laps.

“Alright,” Daichi started, “We just have to get through this a few more times today and then we have…” Daichi motioned for everyone to lean in, “I overheard the coaches talking and they said we’re being rewarded with a barbecue after the sets.”

The noisy players burst, startling the other teams nearby that had lost. Kei’s eyes widened the slightest bit. Daichi had told the team that later. He realized the effect he really had on the future. But he also remembered that he knew what they had and who was going to try and talk to him. That gave him the advantage. He could avoid them all except for Yamaguchi and try and figure out how to stop the future from happening how it had.

Maybe it had been some bullies. Would that even happen to him again? Was it insecurities, lies he told himself, that got the better of him? Kei needed to do some more thinking about this.

“Thinking? That’s dangerous.” Ohta’s voice rang out, echoing a bit in the air or his mind. Wherever she was she was still being irritating.

Kei snarled, a scowl forming on his face and causing him to lose his train of thought. Asahi looked nervously in his direction but didn’t ask. Probably being scared of upsetting him more. Kei didn’t mind though. He just wanted to punch Ohta in the face.

“That’s exactly why I chose this personality.” Ohta popped up beside him, making him jump. More concerned looks were sent his way but he ignored them.

“Stop doing that!” Kei whispered aggressively which was very difficult to do.

Ohta just shrugged and crossed her arms. “Fine. I’ll stay in your mind if you don’t enjoy me doing that. That just means I can read all of your thoughts.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Kei started doing his laps.

“You can’t get away from me that fast you little-“ Kei was gone by the time she finished her sentence, not wanting to deal with his guardian anymore.

The rest of the team caught up to him eventually. Kei slowed his jog so he could be next to Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi startled again, muttering one of his frequently used _sorry, Tsukki_ ’s and started up his lost jog again.

“Are you okay?” Kei asked. It was a stupid question, Kei knew Yamaguchi wasn’t okay considering what would happen a month later. If Kei didn’t prevent it which he would. No matter what.

“Uh,”. Yamaguchi looked as if he were considering telling him the truth or not. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Kei frowned, he knew this wasn’t the truth. Yamaguchi was always so open with him, why not now? Were there threats from some faceless classmates? Was he kept quiet with promises of more misery if misery if not? Maybe, maybe not. It didn’t matter why as of now, only that it was happening at all.

Yamaguchi had always told him anything that was going on. And Kei had always listened, even if it was just some ridiculous rumor that was going around or something very important that was just between them, he would listen.

Kei didn’t know how he didn’t realize something was off before. It was so clear, the way he acted, the way he spoke, the way he held himself upright like it wasn’t worth it anymore.

This, this made Kei mad. Not at Yamaguchi or the team, not the parents, the teachers, not even his brother anymore. He was mad at himself for being the worst friend, the one who was supposed to be with him always, he felt like he was the cause of this. And maybe he was, partly.

“Okay.” Kei said quietly. Silence came over them and Kei tried hard to keep bad thoughts from entering his mind. It wasn’t the time or place to have them, especially when Yamaguchi was having a worse time.

“Are,” Yamaguchi cleared his throat once they got done with their laps and were getting water bottles and such to stop the heat from getting to them. “Are you practicing with Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo tonight. After the barbeque, I mean.” Yamaguchi looked nervous as though this would upset Kei. He was fidgeting with his water bottle cap, twisting it left and right constantly. It made Kei’s fingers twitch watching the nervous energy.

Kei shook his head, “Nah, I’ve had enough of them.”

Yamaguchi seemed to relax and tense at the same time, making it hard to figure out what he felt about this. He seemed to be waiting for something, or maybe he wasn’t. It was very hard to tell with his eyes downcast, his bangs concealing them.

Kei opened his mouth, about to say when Ukai called for the team to start doing warm ups for their game against Shinzen High. They quickly headed towards the warm up spot in the gym.

“Wow. That was a fail.” Ohta appeared next to him with her hand on his shoulder. Kei jumped slightly, only slightly. He was getting used to her coming at random times.

 _What was?_ Kei thought. He had figured out that Ohta could read his mind, if she wanted to.

Ohta exhaled and stretched her arms above her head. “Well, multiple things on your part. The main one was trying to ask Yamaguchi to do something with you.”

Kei looked at her questioningly. _I wasn’t going to ask Yamaguchi to do something with me._

Ohta raised her eyebrows, showing fake confusion. Kei rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to deal with her eyebrow questions right now. He was supposed to be warming up and she was supposed to be helping him prevent a suicide. Neither of them were doing either of those things.

“If you aren’t going to ask him, I will.” Ohta turned around and started marching off towards the exit. Kei pinched the bridge of his nose and hoped nothing horrible would happen.

Kei could hear Ohta laughing inside his head and he knew this was not going to end well.

At that second, Ohta burst back through the metal double doors and everyone turned to see who had come in. Kei’s eyes went wide. Ohta had made herself visible to everyone.

All the players immediately straightened up, probably hoping to have a chance with Ohta. Ohta didn’t even spare them a glance and marched straight up to Kei and put an arm around his shoulder which she was making a habit out of. She waved her hand at the four Tokyo teams and they all immediately turned the other way, seemingly losing interest.

Nishinoya and Tanaka did not. They came speeding over with Asahi trailing after them, shyly sneaking small glances at them.

Nishinoya came up on one side of Ohta while Tanaka went directly to the front of her. “I’m Yuu. Nishinoya Yuu.” Nishinoya said dramatically.

“And I am Tanaka Ryunosuke, wing spiker of Karasuno’s Boy Volleyball Club.” Tanaka bowed deeply.

Ohta rolled her eyes at the same time as Kei did, making him groan. Her personality really was just like his in some ways.

“And who might you be?” Nishinoya asked, sliding over to stand next to Tanaka.

Ohta snickered in his mind, making his head itch. “I’m Ohta. Kei’s friend!”

The team had started coming over to see who had interrupted their warm ups and had overheard her introduction. The look of hurt that flashed across Yamaguchi’s face made Kei’s chest in more than one way.

“What is going on?” Ukai and Takeda had come over with Shimizu and Yachi to see why everyone had stopped warming up.

“Oh! I’m so sorry to interrupt but it’s fine, right?” Ohta asked, something twinkling in her eyes. Kei felt her snap her fingers discreetly on his shoulder and Ukai’s face twisted into one of understanding.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s fine, just don’t take up too much of our players’ time.” Ukai then left to go sit in his chair that he had set up. Takeda followed, glancing from Ukai and Ohta nervously.

Kei glared at Ohta and whispered “Why?” Ohta just laughed.

“Because you wouldn’t, of course! You need to actually be productive you know.” Ohta lightly touched his nose and removed her arm from around his shoulder to shoo the team away. They did as commanded, not needing to be told twice. It was sort of impressive but completely unnecessary to persuade them with whatever she was using.

“Yamaguchi!” Ohta called out. Yamaguchi turned around, his face showing how much he was desperately trying to hide his emotions. He slowly walked over, almost cautiously.

Once Yamaguchi was within reach, Ohta swung her arm around him, making Kei pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Did she really have to do that with everyone she made contact with? It was really irritating, especially since he was the main target of this habit and he wasn’t fond of physical affection.

“I’ve heard so much about you! You’re all Kei ever talks about!” Ohta said, winking at Yamaguchi and turning him a deep shade of red as Kei choked on his spit. Ohta was like the older sister he didn’t have, embarrassing, annoying, yet loving.

“Oh. Yeah?” Yamaguchi asked quietly, glancing at Kei for confirmation he wasn’t going to get. But Ohta didn’t have a problem answering his question. She nodded enthusiastically, a smirk slithering onto her face.

“Oh, yes. All good things, really. Don’t worry. But Kei just can’t _wait_ -“ Kei couldn’t let her finish that sentence so he cut her off quickly.

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Ohta.” Kei cleared his throat, as if that would ward off the embarrassment that was threatening to show.

Ohta’s smirk grew bigger, almost splitting. “Ah, yes. Now, Yamaguchi,” she said, turning to Yamaguchi. His big eyes stared expectantly at her, willing her to keep speaking. “How would you like to hang out with me and Kei? At the barbecue? I’ll be there so it’d be fun!”

Yamaguchi looked as though he were having an internal war about whether to go or not to, making his nose scrunch up and his brows furrow. Kei’s chest stung oddly and I welcomed.

“Sure. I guess I could.” Yamaguchi finally answered. Kei bit his lip to keep a smile down. Ohta had gotten him free time with Yamaguchi with only one simple question. It also irritated him to death how good she was at this stuff.

Ohta clapped her hands. “Alrighty then! I’ll be going now. Don’t want to bother you guys anymore! Get back to that volleyball game!” She winked at Kei and he glared.

They both went in different directions, Kei towards the team and Ohta towards the door. This didn’t stop their annoying telepathic connection, of course, and Ohta seemed to want to get the most out of it.

 _Seems like you’ve got a date. Good luck!_ Kei could feel the smirk in those words, making him twitch. Ohta was infuriating.

The sets went by fast, same with the laps. It wasn’t soon before their game with Fukurodani was there. That went by in a flash too. Part of the reason that it felt like time was speeding up was because both Yamaguchi and Ohta were leaving him alone. This made him worried, more so than he’d like to admit.

“Players! Coaches! Managers! Well done this week!” the Nekoma coach yelled into a megaphone. “You’ve all done great so we decided to host a barbecue!” The players cheered loudly, drooling at the announcement, wanting meat. “It’s outside! Help yourselves!”

The teams heading outside, all of them in a hurry to start filling their mouths with food. Kei looked around in the crowd, trying to find Yamaguchi but he was already deep into the mob of Tall volleyball players.

Kei finally made it outside and headed over to the Karasuno grills. Daichi and Suga had already gotten started with the meat as everyone else talked among themselves. Yamaguchi was still nowhere to be found, this was making Kei worried, not knowing what to do now.

Luckily Ohta had a plan. She came into existence right next to him and pushed him lightly in the direction of the grills, urging him to get a plate.

“C’mon! You need to eat something!” Ohta said, exasperated when Kei didn’t budge.

 _I don’t want to. And aren’t you supposed to be here?_ Kei pushed the thought at Ohta forcefully, making her lose her balance and stumble. She quickly regained her balance with a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I guess so.” She shrugged as she removed her hand from where it was resting on his shoulder. “But you don’t need me. What you need to to talk to Yamaguchi on your own.”

Kei didn’t feel ready to do that. He knew that she meant talking to him about what had made him so depressed to the point that he didn’t think it was worth it to live. So he shook his head. _No._

“Yes.”

_No._

“Yes!”

_No!_

Ohta shrieked, making him flinch. “Why did I even bother to bring you here if you aren’t going to do anything?!” Ohta grabbed at her short brown hair in bunches, mumbling to herself.

Kei sighed. _It’s only the first day. I have plenty of time, Ohta._

Ohta glared and disappeared quickly out of existence. Kei pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose aggressively, a bad habit that had started taking forming at the beginning of middle school that he did only when he was very aggravated. This was going to be a long evening.

Kei snatched up a plate from the small table beside the grill and Suga placed a grilled kebab on the large paper plate. Kei muttered a quick thanks and went to go and find somewhere to sit. He found a place on the concrete steps leading to a side door by the barbecue.

“Where’s Ohta?” Yamaguchi asked, making Kei jump a bit. He hadn’t noticed him approach and sit down next to him. It made him feel a bit guilty about being lost in the peace and quiet of this little spot compared to the chaos around him.

Kei shook his head as if to clear it. He then shook more firmly in a partial response to Yamaguchi’s question. “I don’t know.”

“No! You’re supposed to tell him I was called into my job or something for an emergency!” Ohta hissed as she crouched on the steps on the other side of him suddenly. Kei didn’t jump or flinch, he was getting used to this.

_ I can’t now. _ Ohta groaned, dragging her palms over her face. It seemed she was still frustrated.  _ Deal with it and go back to your eternal abyss or whatever to calm down. _ This only made Ohta shriek in anger and offense as she nearly tore her hair out and disappeared.

Yamaguchi let out a sigh of what sounded like relief. Kei looked over at him to see his shoulders had relaxed, they had been tense all day. This made Kei relax but then tense when he realized what that meant, but he didn’t want to think about that right now when he was here with Yamaguchi and able to ask questions.

They didn’t talk as they finished eating what was on their plates. Kei was itching to talk but Yamaguchi had curled into himself once again. He took that as a sign to stay silent until Yamaguchi talked.

“I,” Yamaguchi started weakly but stopped as he huffed in clear annoyance at something. Kei looked up and saw Bokuto, Kuroo, and Akaashi coming over.

Kei glared at them as the two team captains sat down and Akaashi stood by one of the metal pillars and gave him a sympathetic look. Bokuto and Kuroo were splayed across the expanse of stairs which made him uncomfortable. One glance at Yamaguchi and it was clear he was too.

“ _ Tsukki _ ! You didn’t sit with us!” Yamaguchi physically flinched at the nickname as Kuroo grinned at him over Bokuto’s hair.

Kei huffed and rolled his eyes as he stood up and pulled Yamaguchi up with him too. So much for avoiding them. “Yeah. You are both intolerable and I’d much rather spend time with my team, thank you very much.”

Bokuto and Kuroo both gasped in unison and put their hands on their hearts. Akaashi just rolled his eyes as Yamaguchi flinched again. He was doing that a lot whenever someone said something nice about him, like he didn’t deserve it.

“I can’t believe our new friend would betray us like this!” Bokuto gasped as he placed the back of his hand to his forehead. Kuroo clutched his shirt as he bent over.

“Such dramatic.” Ohta said as she leaned on Kei’s shoulder. He stood straighter to support the weight of her.

“Yes, I can’t fathom that this has happened-” Kuroo was cut off by a screeching sound that seemed to be coming from above them. They all looked up in time to see a burst of color erupt in the darkening sky.

“I’ve got to go!” Ohta then promptly went to wherever she did. Kei frowned slightly. This didn’t happen in the previous version of now.

They heard the coach of Nekoma laughing into the megaphone he was holding as he stood on one of the few picnic tables that were reserved for coaches and managers. “You thought that a barbecue was all we were going to do? No! Everyone, take a seat and enjoy the fireworks!” The volleyball players erupted into roars and cheers of happiness.

Kei looked over at Yamaguchi who had started making his way to what Kei assumed was where he was going to sit. He followed him through the thin layer of trees that were around the picnic area.

“We can sit here.” Kei broke through the trees and nearly gasped at the sight. There was a small hill surrounded by trees. Fireflies were dancing around the small clearing, giving it a warm glow. They circled Yamaguchi’s head like a halo, making Kei smile sadly.

Yamaguchi started up the hill, slipping at times but Kei quickly helped him get back to his feet. Once they reached the top they sat down side by side and waited.

The first firework was red, followed by a blue one. The mix of explosive colors shone down on them, showering them in a soft glow. Fireworks kept coming and coming, one after the other, barely anytime in between. It was soothing, a weird way of relaxation.

Yamaguchi kept glancing at him and Kei did the same. Their eyes flitted away when they caught each other staring, the cycle continuing as did the fireworks. It made Kei felt warm on the inside, like something was stirring in there.

How could this boy be so sad that he would do something so tragic as taking his own life? 

“Tsukki?” Kei looked over at Yamaguchi but his eyes were fixed on the sky, on the fireworks above.

“Yeah?” Kei asked carefully, nearly out of breath even though he had a lot of air.

“You’re,” Yamaguchi paused, the bursts of color reflecting in his muddy eyes. “You’re my friend, right? You like me?”

Kei took a silent deep breath and blew out, scaring away a few fireflies. “Always.”

They both looked up at the now pitch black sky as the yellow and green fireworks painted the sky with light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should not have taken this long. I am so sorry for this. Hopefully I will update again within the span of a month and not one and a half. This chapter was really slow and I was not motivated. It didn't help that I've been really busy. Again, I am so sorry that this took so long. Did you like the fireworks? I was thinking this whole time that that's probably illegal but I wanted to do it so I did. TAKE THAT LAWS! No, don't do that. If it's illegal it's for a reason. Don't play with fireworks kids.


	3. Unwilling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day two of saving Yamaguchi and things aren't starting off too great. Kei has to get advice from two team captains due to Ohta's nagging. Then Yamaguchi and him go to the museum where Yamaguchi invites someone who Kei cannot stand. Kei's already tired from everything and today has only made it worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to all the people that have given me kudos or just clicked on this fic because it looked interesting. It means a lot to me and keeps me writing. I know there are people that enjoy this and, you know, gotta give the people what they want! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

The rest of the night was uneventful, after the fireworks stopped they made their way sleepily to their rooms. It was nearly ten o’clock and after a long day of training they all collapsed on their sleeping bags.

When Kei woke up everyone else was sleeping but he was being shook awake.

“Wake… UP!” Ohta yelled and Kei sat up quickly, his hands reaching for his glasses instinctively. He grabbed them and put them on quickly. Kei glared at her from behind his glasses and got up from his place on his sleeping bag.

“Look!” Ohta exclaimed as she popped up in front of him and took ahold of his wrist. “It changed! It works!” She seemed amazed by her own creation and it irritated him so he rolled his eyes but looked at the bracelet.

The bold **30** that was now carved into the soft wood made Kei’s eyes widen. It really did work, surprisingly. Kei had absolutely no faith in Ohta so when he saw the bead it shocked him.

“Hey! That’s not nice!” Ohta pinched his ear for a moment then disappeared out of existence. She sure did shout a lot.

_Why’d you wake me up so early?_ Kei asked, still admiring the bead bracelet. There was a small feather, a crow’s, that was now carved on one of the black beads that hadn’t been there. Kei decided it was some sort of side effect to the changing of numbers.

“Because,” Ohta paused as she rummaged silently in someone’s bag and victoriously pulled out a pack of Double Stuf Oreos and shoved one into her mouth after opening the package. “Because,” she started again, her mouth full and Kei cringed.

_Close your mouth. Please._ Kei begged.

Ohta closed her mouth and swallowed with a low growl that came up from deep in her throat.

“ _Because_ ,” Ohta glared at him for having to say the same thing three times even though it was her fault. “You’re leaving today. And you have some people that you need to talk to. I know they’re up at this hour like the idiots they are.”

Kei groaned loudly and ran a hand over his face but stopped, looking around to see if he’d woken anybody. Hinata and Kageyama both stirred but other than them nothing was disturbed.

_Why_ _do_ _I_ _have_ _to_ _talk_ _to_ _them?_ Kei asked as he moved to grab his bag so he could get changed. He snatched his headphones too, not trusting the team enough to leave them in there.

“You have to talk to them if you want any advice. They’re the only ones who don’t know who Yamaguchi is that will help you.” Ohta skipped slightly beside Kei as they headed to the bathroom.

Kei sent a glare in her general direction and sped up, wanting to get changed soon. He felt vulnerable in his pajamas.

“We’re here, finally!” Ohta said even though time was faster for her and it didn’t take that long. “I’m just…”

Ohta leaned onto the door, her ear pressed up against. Then she nodded twice and sighed. “Sorry. You have to deal with this.” Then she was gone, only a small thing in his mind that shuffled nervously.

Kei pressed his ear up against the door just like Ohta had done but pulled away immediately. The now familiar pain was back full force, tugging at his lungs, trying to pull the air from them. It hurt, a lot.

There was a muffled sobbing on the other side of the door, small hiccups of breath prominent in the silence of the bathroom itself. It was loud, but not loud enough for it to travel through the bathroom door which made it the perfect spot to stay and cry.

Kei was frozen in place. He knew who it was, there could be no one else. He was expecting something like this, but he didn’t know it would come so soon.

Ohta pushed him with nonexistent hands and he stumbled forward, running into the door, making it open. The hands pushed him again and he was fully in the bathroom, nothing between him and Yamaguchi except a stall door.

Kei silently cursed the bathroom door for having a push not pull and Ohta for pushing him into the door. Ohta kicked the wall of his mind, giving him a small headache. Kei mentally noted not to upset Ohta while she was in his mind.

The crying stopped when Kei’s sneakers that he had thrown on squeaked on the slightly wet floor. Kei could feel it as Yamaguchi tensed, the air growing thick with uncomfortableness.

Kei then cursed himself. If Yamaguchi looked out from under the stall he would certainly notice that the sneakers were his. If he looked over the top he would see his hair or worse, his face. Then he would be screwed.

He decided it would be best if he chose a stall on the opposite wall than Yamaguchi and get changed. Then he’d leave, fully clothed and unidentified.

Kei made his way to one of the stalls, trying to go fast but not make much noise in the process. Once he got there he quickly changed, his skin crawling with the feeling of being watched.

When he was done he got out, bag in hand, and speed walked out. Yamaguchi was silent the entire time, making Kei uneasy. It made sense though, he wouldn’t want someone to know he’d been crying if there was a possibility they hadn’t heard you.

Ohta was waiting for him outside the bathroom door, arms crossed over her chest and a look of disappointment on her face. She shook her head and sighed but said nothing. He followed her as she started to go deeper into the school, leading him to where Bokuto and Kuroo were.

When they got to the entrance to the gym Kei cringed. Having to do this made it a thousand times worse to him.

“You’ve got to do it.” Ohta smirked. “I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to kick you.”

Kei glared at her as he opened the door quickly. He stepped inside and sat his bag down on one of the bleachers.

Bokuto and Kuroo turned around to look at who had come in. Akaashi and Kenma both looked up from where they were sitting, phones in hand, to see who had come as well.

Kei waved slightly, Ohta forcefully putting his hand up in the air and waving it around. Kei kept his face neutral, showing nothing. He let it happen since he knew trying to force yourself to stop waving was very suspicious and very unnatural. Kei didn’t want that.

When Bokuto and Kuroo realized who it was they charged, grins wide. Akaashi and Kenma both smiled reserved smiles then went back to playing on their devices.

Kuroo got to him first, his long legs enabling him to run fast. Ohta backed away from both of them, a grin matching the size of Kuroo’s still growing on her face as she stepped back and became nonexistent.

When Bokuto reaches him they both put one of their arms around him in greeting. Kei scowled and crossed his arms over himself, like a shield.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto said, his owl-like eyes shining.

“Did you decide you wanted to play with us?” Kuroo leaned down into his face and Kei turned his head. “That’s nice! Let’s play!”

“Yeah!” Bokuto agreed, pumping a fist into the air excitedly. “Let’s play!”

Kei shoved them off, slightly harder than needed. He watched in satisfaction as they both stumbled a bit, their eyes blinking quickly.

“No.” Kei said and bent down to tie his shoelace, hoping the movement was smooth. “I’ve come to ask you guys for…” he took a deep breath in and released it. “Advice.”

There was no noise coming from above him, making him nervous but more confident to stand back up to his full height.

When he did he saw the looks on Kuroo’s and Bokuto’s faces and considered leaving right then and there. They were both wearing a combination of a smirk and a grin and they looked like they were trying really hard not to laugh.

“Us?” Bokuto put a hand over his heart and Kuroo wipes a nonexistent tear from his eye. Kei rolled his eyes and nodded.

“ _Us_?” Kuroo repeated, making Kei very uncomfortable and irritated about the whole situation. He nodded once more in confirmation.

“Well then,” Bokuto put an arm over Kei’s shoulder Kuroo did the same. “We need to take you to a proper advice-giving place!”

They pushed the gym doors back open and led Kei outside. He wondered why Akaashi and Kenma didn’t intervene. They were probably too caught up in their devices to notice or they knew nothing bad would happen to Kei. Kei went with both.

As they neared the street Kei began to think that they were kidnapping him. He was caught between reporting them and letting them carry on with it when they took a sharp turn into the woods that bordered that side of the school.

“We’re here!” Kuroo announced when they came to a little circle of trees with a tree stump in the middle. On the tree stump and leaned against the outer trees were plastic bags full of non perishable snacks.

“Home sweet home.” Bokuto agreed and sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree. Kuroo stayed standing by Bokuto’s side, arms crossed and unsettling smile in place. He motioned for Kei to sit on the stump so he did, rolling his eyes as he cleared off the surface and sat.

“So,” Kuroo started, Bokuto handing him a Pocky stick.

“What is the advice you are seeking?” Bokuto finished. They both stuck a Pocky stick into their mouths, imitating an investigator with a cigarette.

Kei opened his mouth to explain but felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. He turned his head to see Ohta standing behind him, her arms laid across his shoulders. An Oreo was sticking out of her mouth, making Kei roll his eyes again. It was becoming a more frequent action for him.

“How do you,” Kei paused, putting his head in his hands. He didn’t know how to phrase this or if this would even help. “How do you help someone feel better about themselves?”

Bokuto and Kuroo stared at him oddly for awhile. Kei squirmed a bit under their gazes, the feeling of them uncomfortable. When the tense silence was broken it was Bokuto who spoke.

“Depends on the person.” Kuroo nodded his head in a agreement.

“Yeah.” Kuroo threw some sort of seed into his mouth and chewed for a second before continuing. “If it were me, I’d want them to be straight with me. I’d want them to tell me all the good qualities that they saw in me and prove they were right.”

Bokuto snatched the box of seeds from Kuroo’s hand and dumped some in his mouth, chewing quickly. “But for me I’d want them to comfort me first. Then I’d want them to explain why I was someone they liked and why I should feel confident in myself as well. But nicely.”  
Kei shook his head. If he needed to keep going he would keep going until he got an answer he liked. He needed to be more direct with what he wanted to say. At least that’s what Ohta was hinting at.

“Okay, how about with someone fragile?” Ohta stood up fully and patted him on the back, showing that he asked the right question. Kei tried to suppress the smile but he felt it ghosting his lips.

“Ah,” Kuroo pushed himself off the tree and started walking around the small ring of trees. “That’s completely different. Neither of us are fragile.”

Bokuto stood up and started walking in the opposite direction as Kuroo had, passing him by every so often. “But we do know some people who are.”

Kuroo nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah. Many people. So, if we were to make them feel better about themselves,”

“We’d ask them nice and short questions to get them a bit more comfortable,” Bokuto continued. They met right in front of Kei and both turned to him.

“Then we’d get to the core of the problem!” they both said in unison, making Kei jump a bit. Ohta slid on her knees and did jazz hands right in front of both third years, making Kei struggle to keep his face normal.

“We’re pretty great advice givers, huh?” Bokuto asked everyone. Ohta and Kuroo both nodded with grins and Kei nodded reluctantly.

“Yes, yes we are. Right, _Tsukki_?” Kuroo smirked at Kei.

Kei tensed but nodded. He got up, put the snacks back on the stump and started walking towards the school. He heard footsteps and assumed that Bokuto and Kuroo were both following him. It was odd they were that quiet though.

Ohta caught up to him and fell in step beside him, her hands behind her back as she stared at the ground.

“That was helpful!” Ohta said, eyes still focused on the ground. Kei thought that yes, it was helpful. But they shouldn’t have done that, they needed to stop making fun of Yamaguchi. Ohta nodded, hearing his thoughts.

They walked inside the building and went to the room Karasuno was staying in. When they got there Yamaguchi was back and Asahi and Suga were awake. The two third years put a finger over their mouths, signalling for him to be quiet. He gladly obliged as he didn’t want to deal with any crazy munchkins right now.

“What were you doing outside the room?” Suga asked in a small whisper.

“Taking a walk.” Kei answered shortly and went drop his bag over by his sleeping bag. He lowered it onto the ground and started to rummage through it like he was looking for something. It was really only a distraction so he didn’t have to look at Yamaguchi.

They went on in silence for about fifteen minutes before Hinata woke up. He started shaking Kageyama awake as soon as he was up, making all of the ones who were already awake cringe.

“WHAT?!” Kageyama eventually yelled, making the rest of the team wake up.

Kei sighed. Now he wouldn’t have a reason to go through his bag.

It was chaos for the next twenty minutes. People getting undressed, people getting dressed, people eating quick snacks, conversations going on, Kei hated all of it. Once it was finally over and they were going to the bus he let out a breath of relief.

“Okay! Everyone get on the bus, single file!” Takeda yelled out from the driver’s seat. They all got on quickly, wanting to go home.

Kei chose one of the seats in the back where Yamaguchi always liked to sit but usually never got to since he always sat where Kei did. Yamaguchi followed him to the back, surprise on his face showing that he’d never thought Kei would want to sit back there. It made Kei’s chest hurt.

The bus ride was about an hour long. Kei left his headphones around his neck in case Yamaguchi wanted to talk to him but he never said anything. They sat in silence the whole time, making Kei nervous and not knowing what to do next.

“Alright, stop talking and get off this bus!” Ukai yelled at them once the bus had stopped, making them all go quiet and stand up. They quickly got off, none of them wanting to have to be the ones to clean up for the next week of practice.

Once Kei was off the bus Ohta tapped his shoulder and hopped in front of him.

“Let’s go somewhere with Yamaguchi!”

Kei glanced at Yamaguchi who was standing on the curb, seemingly having no clue what to do.

_ Where? _

Ohta grinned and Kei almost regretted it. But he was going to get to spend time with Yamaguchi, hopefully getting closer to the core of the problem.

“How about…” Ohta trailed off, her expression something similar to concentration but not quite. It seemed it didn’t take that much effort.

Ohta lit up and put a finger up in the air. “The museum!” then she started marching off towards the direction of the large building.

_ Wait! _ Kei called out to her. Ohta stopped and looked back at her with a dull look.  _ We need to ask my mom  _ and _ Yamaguchi before we do that. _

Ohta seemed to think about it then slumped, grumbling about how she knew that. She then straightened back up and walked, without the skip in her step which showed she wasn’t thrilled, back to Kei.

Kei pulled out his phone from his back pocket and quickly unlocked it. Ohta poked it and Kei shooed her hand away. He realized that it was probably an odd movement but Kei hoped it looked like a bug of some sort had gotten in the way and he was swatting at it.

He opened up the message app and clicked on his mom’s contact and sent her a quick message that said he was back and he was wondering if Yamaguchi and him could go to the museum. He hoped she answered soon.

His phone silently alerted him there was a message from someone about five seconds later. His mom had responded, asking if he wanted her to drive them and said that Yamaguchi and his mom had okayed it.

Kei nodded at his phone and sent a text saying he could walk. He then put his phone away and walked over to Yamaguchi was still standing stiffly on the curb, Ohta following him from behind.

Kei gestured for them to start walking and they did so, the only sound was their shoes scuffing the ground as they left the group behind, heading towards the museum. Kei was trying to think of a way to start up a conversation when Yamaguchi spoke.

“I invited someone else. I hope you don’t mind.” Kei looked over at him with shock. Yamaguchi was staring at the ground, kicking every rock in his way. 

Ohta elbowed him and he looked over at her. Her expression was urgent and suspicious like she knew something he didn’t and it made his skin itch.

“I mind!” she said, flapping her arms around and looking very offended. 

“Yeah, that’s fine with me.” Kei answered, glaring at Ohta who was now in front of them. Ohta huffed and shook her head but didn’t say anything more as they continued to the museum.

Yamaguchi had taken his phone out and it seemed like he was texting whoever he had invited to come along. Kei kept glaring at nothing, trying not to look at Yamaguchi. 

“That was stupid.” Ohta said as they were in the museum parking lot, heading to the front entrance. Kei disagreed strongly and Ohta groaned, reading his thoughts. “Well, I tried to warn you!”

They went through the doors and went up to the member counter where they got in line, both of them pulling their membership cards out of their pockets.

Kei always kept his card with him whenever he went somewhere, just in case there was a change of plans. He knew that Yamaguchi did too. They had promised each other they would, in case they were needed.

They were almost to the front the line when Yamaguchi looked behind him and waved at someone, gesturing for them to come. Kei turned around as well and nearly gasped at the person who was waving at them, pulling out a membership card as well.

There was a guy walking toward them, his pitch black hair swept to the side of his face and up, making him look mature yet fun. His eyes, Kei could see them from where he was, were a shocking light blue, an odd color. Kei could also tell he was about six feet and four inches, judging by the way he towered over a woman who was walking next to him.

From behind Kei Ohta made a sound of disgust, her expression most likely twisted into a snarl. Kei agreed. He was disgusted as well, not having a good feeling about this guy.

“Hey, ‘Guchi.” the guy said as he got into line beside Yamaguchi, making a couple dozen people groan in protest, their having been so long. Kei cringed at the horrible nickname as well as Ohta

“Hi.” Yamaguchi stared at the ground for awhile before looking up at Kei, seemingly reminded he should introduce who this stranger was.

“This,” Yamaguchi gestured to the guy. “This is Nakamura. He’s an old family friend.”

Nakamura held out his hand for Kei to shake and he took it hesitantly, not trusting him. “And you must be Tsukishima. Nice to meet you.”

Ohta growled and Kei held back a glare. Ohta knew who this guy was and if she didn’t trust him, neither did he.

————————————-

“‘The term ‘dinosaur’ refers to land-dwelling reptiles that have a specific hip structure, among other traits.’” Nakamura finished reading the sign aloud. They were in the dinosaur exhibit and both Kei and Yamaguchi were on their phones, knowing every word on each plaque by heart.

“That’s interesting, huh?” Nakamura turned to Yamaguchi who looked up and nodded quickly, making Nakamura frown. It seemed he didn’t like that they weren’t paying attention.

The group kept moving through the exhibit, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima mumbling odd facts as they passed certain signs, making the other snicker. Kei missed this, doing what they always did. It also made him happy that Nakamura looked like a bomb about to explode.

“Want to read this one?” Nakamura said, almost angrily, his eyes boring into Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi looked at Kei and they started to recite.

“‘Although no one has ever recovered a Tyrannosaurus Rex’s egg it is said to be nine feet in diameter. Scientists hope to find at least a nest, hopefully an egg, with your help! Donate today on our website, help us find out more about these amazing creatures!” Yamaguchi, Kei, and Ohta all said as they closed their eyes, not stumbling once, their memory not failing them.

Once Kei opened his eyes he caught the look on Nakamura’s face. He was staring at him with some emotion that he couldn’t define, but he knew it wasn’t awe or something pleasant. It made his insides twist and clearly Ohta didn’t like it either.

Ohta grabbed Kei’s arm and started leading him away, towards the exit. Kei resisted, most certainly making a scene and drawing people’s attention to himself but he didn’t care. He just wanted to be free from Ohta’s iron grasp.

When he finally got free he headed for the exit himself, making Ohta huff in annoyance. He heard Yamaguchi’s footsteps frantically thumping behind him, signaling he was following him.

“Wait, wait.” Yamaguchi said as he caught up to him. They were outside the dinosaur exhibit now so Kei slowed to a stop in the middle of the stream of people, staring down at Yamaguchi.

“Why did you leave?” Yamaguchi asked, clear confusion in his voice. Kei just scoffed and went started walking again. Yamaguchi followed him without any further pushing.

————————————-

They continued their trek around the museum, looking at every exhibit even if just a peek inside. Nakamura was nowhere to be found in the rest of the time they were there. It made Kei feel relieved but a sense of dread came over him when he thought of what it could mean.

At the end of their trip they stopped at the gift shop, each of them pointing out different things that weren’t there before or that they wanted. The whole time Kei felt warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe it was because he got to spend more time with Yamaguchi or maybe it was the fact that Nakamura wasn’t here. Whatever it was he was happy.

They left at around seven p.m. and they walked home together, Kei walking Yamaguchi to his house. He didn’t want to think about what could happen.

Yamaguchi stepped up to his doorstep and Kei was about to leave when Yamaguchi turned around.

His green hair glowed in the porchlight and it was hard for Kei to concentrate. He could hear Ohta’s snickers faintly in the back of his mind but he paid no attention to them.

“I… I got this for you.” Yamaguchi handed him a small bag then opened his front door and disappeared behind it. Kei stood there, holding the small bag and not knowing what to do with it.

After minutes of debating he decided he would open it at his house where he wasn’t so close to Yamaguchi. He’d always liked distance from people when he was opening gifts.

Kei ran up to his room after answering that he had a good time to his mom. He opened the door and slammed it shut, cringing at the loud sound it made.

He was about to open it when Ohta appeared, sitting on the edge of his bed and kicking his leg.

“What was that for!?” Kei whisper-shouted, not wanting his family to think he was talking to himself.

Ohta seemed to think about it for a second and then said “Because I wanted to. You also seemed like you were getting too excited.”

Kei huffed and rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the bag once more.

He carefully opened it and pulled out a dinosaur plushie with glasses and a T-shirt he had pointed out to Yamaguchi when they were looking around in the gift shop. Something else fell out of the bag and Kei picked it up.

The white receipt had a message on the back that looked like it was written quickly. It said ‘This reminded me of you. I hope you like it.’

Kei set both the receipt and the plushie in his nightstand and laid down, staring at the ceiling.

With Ohta humming in the background and the warmth Kei was feeling he drifted into an undisturbed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry that this took so long and I don’t expect other updates to be like this. What do you think of Nakamura? I’ve given hints to who he is as a person and what’s happening to Yamaguchi. I also added the crow feathers as my own little touch that adds up to something fairly big. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Check in to see when I update! I promis it won’t be long from now.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry this wasn't longer. The next chapter will hopefully come soon and be much longer. I just didn't know what to do to make this longer. I hope you enjoyed this if you go this far. If you didn't, although you can't read this, I hope you find something satisfying. I'm gonna stop. I sound really cheesy. Next chapter, here I come!


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